Closure
by LSgrimm91
Summary: Jack returns to Edora for some closure before he can move on with his life.  S/J Shipper-friendly. S8, post threads.


**Disclaimer****: Damn writers gave me no closure!... Oh, right, I own nothing. Don't sue.  
****Summary****: Jack needs to make a decision and some closure, so decides to return to Edora. One last time, as he had promised Laira. [Post Threads S8].  
****A/note****: Okay, so, I'm a Sam/Jack shipper (for those who don't know); I needed some closure for the whole Laira thing. I'm not going to be mean to Laira or anything, but as a S/J shipper, I'd rather not have Jack retiring on Edora. So... This is how I resolve this itch. This hasn't been beta-ed, so all mistakes are my own. Enjoy. (PS, Yes, this is a S/J story... Duh.)**

**~ SJ ~**

Sam sat alone in her poorly lit lab on level nineteen; her fingers moving fluidly over the keyboard of her laptop. She paused briefly to clench and flex her tired digits. She'd been working all morning with only a few short breaks. A knock on her door brought her eyes above the computer screen to her Commanding Officer as he leant casually against the frame, hands hidden in the depths of his pockets.

"Hi Sir." She greeted, quickly rubbing her straining eyes.

"Whatchya up to?" The General pushed off the doorframe and casually walked in, stopping on the other side of her work bench and leaning over on his elbows.

"Ah, not much." Sam said, failing to come up with an answer that wouldn't bore him. The General simply gave her a grunted 'hmm' and looked around the room, as if he'd never been here before.

"Anything I can help you with Sir?" Sam asked with a questioning eyebrow. This was the first time the General had sought her out since her father's funeral. Sure, they'd spoken since then, but it seemed Jack was here without purpose, which Sam found extremely interesting.

"No..." His eyes narrowed like he was observing her in deep curiosity. "I'm going offworld today." He said quickly, noticing the awkward tension building in the room. Sam hadn't heard about this, and did not hide her surprise.

"Really?"

Jack's body language shifted towards uncomfortable. He looked away, his hands clenched ever so slightly; his eyebrows moved more when he spoke. Sam realised he was going to tell her something he felt obligated to say, but would prefer not to.

"Yeah. To Edora."

Despite the humming and occasional beep of the mainframe servers that lined the walls, the room became very still. Sam's body tensed and her sharp intake of breath was enough to bring Jack's wary eyes back to her face. They had never spoken of Edora, except the week after he came back, when he sought her out specifically to thank her. But no, this caught Sam off guard. Despite her resolve to remain professional, especially when it came to her Commanding Officer, Sam felt a swell of emotion brew in her chest. She couldn't identify it, but it felt similar to jealousy, anger and disappointment.

"I see. How long will you be gone?" She asked, straightening up on her stool and folding her arms across her chest.

"Probably just a couple of hours, I think." Jack said after a few seconds consideration.

Sam wasn't sure why Jack was telling her this. She was still raw from her own recent break up with Pete. The perfectly decent man she couldn't marry, because she still harboured strong feelings for the complicated man in front of her.

She had heard Jack imply once or twice in previous years, that he would like to go back to Edora; retire there. She wondered why he was now actually going back. This, of course, she would never ask. Jack felt the urge to continue, to explain in his own cryptic manner the reason he was going back for the day.

"There are some things I need to do. I promised the folk there I'd come back one day. I've got to make some decisions."

Jack seemed to have forgotten that Sam was there when he made his promise to one particular woman, that he would one day return. The woman that not only made Sam realise that her Commanding Officer was human, but that he was as capable as she was at falling in love. When Jack went back for Laira, Sam begun to question herself, and everything else in her life.

Her silence appeared to fascinate the Brigadier General leaning on her workbench. Sam dared to look him in the eye and say the words she personally did not support.

"Have fun." She forced a smile.

**~ SJ ~**

The Stargate shut down behind Jack and he took a second to breathe in the fragrant air. Edora was simply beautiful. It was a place he'd dreamed about for years. But he was not here for the scenery. He was here to see Laira. He needed some closure after so many years of uncertainty.

He was glad they had unburied the gate and replaced it in a stand. He briefly wondered if they did so in anticipation of his return. He brushed off the thought and began the vaguely familiar walk towards the house he hoped Laira still lived in.

Jack walked slowly, enjoying the trip, until he found the house. It was as he remembered it. Charming and homey. His paced slowed when he noticed a woman in front of the abode. Jack recognised her instantly and a smile grew across his lips. Laira was playing in the grass with a young boy. Three, maybe four years old. For a second Jack wondered about this young boy's father.

Laira stopped her activities with her son when she spotted the stranger in black on the hill looking down at her. She stood up, leaving her curious child by the house as she walked towards the strange man. Jack wondered if she had forgotten him, but as she drew closer, she gave him a wide and welcoming grin.

"Jack." She was clearly surprised at his arrival. She opened her arms and Jack allowed himself to be pulled into her embrace. Jack noticed her hug was distinctly friendly in nature, and he understood why when a man poked his head out of Laira's house.

She had remarried.

Jack felt relieved by this revelation. She deserved to be happy. He let her go and she took a step back to look at him with familiar eyes.

"It is so good to see you again." She grinned. She began to walk back to her home at Jack's side. They approached her awaiting son, and Jack's curiosity caused him to stare at the child.

"Laira, who is your friend?" The man Jack assumed was Laira's husband asked, wiping his hands on a thick rag. Jack could tell the man was easy going and not threatened by his sudden presence.

"Martir, this is Jack." Laira introduced. Jack waved a hand and Martir offered the stranger a polite smile. Jack turned back to Laira.

"I don't have much time Laira, do you mind if we go for a walk?" Jack requested without urgency. It was not that his time was limited, but figured they had a lot to talk about.

"Of course." She nodded and then turned to her Martir. "Jack cannot stay long; we are going to go for a walk." She advised her husband. He seemed okay with this and nodded.

They began to walk through a thick field. The wheat-like plants where soft and whipped sporadically around their knees.

"I see you are a man that keeps his promises Jack." Laira said sweetly.

"I try to be. How are you?"

"Life has treated me well... but you came here with purpose..." She observed. Jack sighed and was taken, once again, by the scent this world offered.

"I have. I need to know where I stand with you." Jack began. Laira chuckled at the oddity of his question.

"It has been a long time since I shared your company Jack. I confess I enjoyed every moment of it, but it is in the past." She surmised, her hair flipping easily in the breeze.

"It is... I'm sorry I didn't come back sooner." Laira stopped and touched his elbow.

"You have a life on your own world. I honestly did not expect to see you again, though I am glad to be proven wrong."

"You didn't?" Jack asked abruptly. Did she really believe he would abandon her?

"No. It took you so long to adjust to this world. It was a dream for you Jack, a fond one, but nothing more." She smiled in sympathy. Jack considered her statement carefully. "I also feel you have moved on in your life."

"I'd like to." Jack looked at the surroundings pensively. "I just can't stop wondering."

"We have a saying: all events in life have purpose." He smiled at the expression.

"Yeah, we have one on earth: everything happens for a reason."

"You chose to go back to your world. I have moved on with my life, as you have yours. It was the way it was meant to be." She shrugged, unsure of what else she could say to assure him there was no unfinished business between them. Jack felt like he had run out of questions, and he was finally ready to go home for good, though everything seemed too easily resolved. He stood and took in the charming woman and sighed deeply.

"Then I guess it's time I moved on too." They began to walk back towards the Stargate.

"Might I ask why you chose to return now?" She asked out of the blue as they walked in comfortable silence.

"I have some decisions to make, but I needed to get some closure." Jack frowned.

"Has your heart chosen another?"

"Uh, perhaps. It's kinda complicated. I have to be sure." Jack scratched his jaw. Laira was silent for the remainder of the journey. They came to the gate and Jack suddenly left sad to leave. He looked at her and the landscape with longing in his eye.

"This place and I, it will always be a part of you, Jack. But you have your own life to lead." Laira smiled kindly. Jack felt warmed by her compassion and gave her a firm hug goodbye. He dialled the Stargate home and sent his IDC to Earth. He stopped before walking through and turned back to Laira.

"Your son... is he?" Jack didn't verbalise his question, because honestly, he was anxious about Laira's answer.

Laira considered his question for a few seconds, but chose to lie. Jack may have given Taran life, but Martir was her son's father in every other way. Jack had lost a son in his life, and did not need to be burdened with the fact he had left another on a distant planet. She had moved on, and Jack deserved the right to as well.

"I do not believe so, Jack. I married Martir not long after your departure, but Taran is Martir's son." She assured.

She would live with the fact she had lied to a man she still held close to her heart, but she firmly believed it was best this way. Jack seemed visibly relieved by this and Laira felt she was right in her decision.

Jack was reassured, but deep down, he still wondered. Never the less, Laira was right; it was time for him to move on.

He gave her a wave and an affectionate smile, and then walked through the gate with no intention of coming back. It was during his trip between Edora and Earth that Jack finally came to his decision.

**~ SJ ~**

Sam sat at her laptop, coffee cup to her lips. She tried her best to work at her usual pace, but was frequently distracted by nagging questions invoked by Jack's announcement to return to Edora. She was yet to answer any of those questions, which only added to her frustration. She gripped the screen of her computer and shut the lid more firmly than she ought. She moved her cup and computer away, rubbing her eyes in exhaustion.

For the second time today, she found her Commanding Officer in her doorway, hands in his pockets, silently regarding her.

"Sir! I didn't know you were back." She confessed. Jack took this as an invitation to come in, though Sam had not intended it as so.

"Yeah." Jack came around to her side of the work bench and leant on it. Sam noticed and compared it to his earlier behaviour, concluding that something had happened on Edora. She wasn't completely sure she wanted to know, but asked regardless.

"Did you do what you needed to do?" She asked carefully. Jack thought about his answer and took in a deep breath.

"Yeah. I did. Everything is resolved." When he turned and smiled lazily, Sam wondered what happened on the planet to change the man next to her.

Jack leant an elbow on the table. If someone came into the lab, the scene would be considered intimate, which would normally have Sam making a hasty retreat. But not today.

"I finally made my decision." Jack nodded once.

Sam felt like she should know what he was feeling indecisive about, but as she did not, she couldn't ask him what his decision was. She could only say what she could.

"You have?" She asked with a curious frown. Jack smiled.

"Oh yeah. Definitely. I'm going to move on and go for the woman I want." Jack continued to watch her intently.

Sam couldn't stop her mind from drawing conclusions. He was moving on from Laira. That much was obvious. But to whom? The way he was staring at her with those inviting brown eyes, Sam forced herself to not assume he was referring to her. Then again, if he wasn't, he wouldn't be here.

Seeing her mind at work, Jack chose this moment to push off the workbench. He gave her hand gentle squeeze and walked out of her lab. He wanted her to mull on this. Food for thought. Let her come to her own conclusions. She would need to make her own decisions about how he knew she felt.

**~ SJ ~**

**Yes, pretty anticlimactic. I just felt it wasn't the right time for them to pour their little hearts out or confess undying love or anything. That would spoil the moment.**

**Reviews very much appreciated.**


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